Kaleidoscopes
by Seriously Sam
Summary: A small child claims Fox Mulder is his uncle, an uncle he's never met but heard stories of from his mother Samantha. AU
1. Aidan

**Title – Kaleidoscopes**

 **Summary –** A small child claims Fox Mulder is his uncle, an uncle he's never met but heard stories of from his mother Samantha.

 **Note –** This story takes place towards the end of season 5. Everything is still canon up to that point, just a little AU season 5.

" **Kaleidoscopes"**

" **Chapter One: Aidan"**

The Christmas lights were spilling in through the window, illuminating her face in a swirl of colors. She was sitting by his knees on top of the blanket he had been graciously given by Mrs. Scully for the night. The lights were off in the room, he could barely make out her features. A gentle touch grazed his knee, jerking him awake more than he was a few seconds ago. Fumbling in the dark, he grasped her hand into his. It was a gesture that felt familiar, natural.

A sad, soft sigh escaped Dana Scully's lips. He didn't know if it was his mere touch that garnered the reaction or the reason she was sleepless so late at night. Turning his head away from her illuminated silhouette, he saw a clock cloaked in pale blue on a bookcase in the corner. The time read 3:15. Turning back to her face, he swore he saw a brightly colored tear rolling down her rainbow face.

"Why create a child only to kill her?" her voice was so soft that he was unsure if he even heard her correctly.

"Dana…"

He struggled to sit up, the fog of sleep completely gone from his mind. He felt the weight of her fingertips slide from his grasp. Maybe calling her Dana was wrong in that moment, but it felt so right. He reserved her Christian name for times like this, when he felt that either he or she were in a vulnerable spot. He said her first name when he wanted her to know he cared, had his full attention, thought of her more than just a work partner. They weren't particularly close personally – he couldn't name her favorite color or her guilty pleasure television show – but he felt that ever since her abduction, he was becoming personally invested in her and in their blossoming friendship. She had called him to fly to the other side of the United States at Christmas, no less, to help her deal with a very personal matter. Regardless, that it did involve their work together, it was more personal than professional to her.

"I'm sorry," her voice akin to a small child. "I just…"

"It's fine. We can talk about it," he responded as he maneuvered his feet to hang off the edge of the couch. "The people who made Emily, they didn't do it because they care about a child or even people for that matter. She's a pawn in their game, a pawn in their screwed up agenda."

He felt her body inch closer to him, her face turning away from the Christmas lights and causing him to no longer see her features. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. In return, she rested her head against his shoulder and relief unclenched deep within his chest.

Their relationship was complicated, different. He never knew exactly how to act around her. Would she take a comforting gesture as a sign of friendship and concern or would she pull away in a bout of professionalism and raise up the walls around her? She was confusing yet enduring at the same time.

"I need to save her life, Mulder. I don't know how but I need to save her. She's the only child I'll ever have."

Her voice sounded so sad, so small, that he wanted to roll her up in a giant blanket and protect her forever. He didn't want such remorse to fill her every being, to drive her into a spiral of unending revenge and seek a truth that would not be found. He did not want her to develop a quest like his, a quest that seemingly had no end or happiness in sight. He wanted her to be happy, to have a family, to not be consumed by a version of the darkness he felt every day of his life since he was a child. He wanted better for her.

"You know I'll do whatever I can to help you," he spoke in a low rumble. "But I have to admit, Scully, I'm out of my element on this one. She's a child that was never meant to be, a child born out of circumstances that I'm not sure we will ever fully understand."

He felt her head move, her nose burying itself into his chest. In response, his grip tightened around her thin shoulders half out of an attempt to comfort and half to squeeze the sadness out of her. She was silent but he felt his shirt become just slightly damp. His mouth opened up several times, gaping like a fish out of water but no words came out. He had no idea what to say to this woman, no idea how to make it better. His mind ran through a million pathetic phrases he could say. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft ringing noise in the distance. It sounded like it was far away, through a tunnel or muted by water.

The ringing grew louder and louder until Mulder jolted awake in Washington, D.C. on his threadbare leather couch. Blinking several times, the dream/memory faded from in front of his eyes. A repeat special about the Steelers played on the television. Glancing blurry eyes down at the VCR, he saw it was a quarter past midnight. He leapt from the couch to the desk where his phone resided. The only person who would call him so late was Dana Scully who was most likely in some form of trouble.

"Mulder," he answered, his heart pounding in his chest.

 _"Is this Fox Mulder?"_ a tired, unfamiliar female voice asked.

"Uh… yeah. Can I ask who's calling?"

 _"Mr. Mulder, I'm sorry to call you at such a late hour, but I've been searching for you all day and just located you not ten minutes ago."_

Mulder cradled the receiver between his shoulder and ear. With his free hand, pulled out his desk chair to take a seat. For some reason, he had the sense that he should be sitting down for this conversation. His mind went wild with thoughts, jumping from one scenario to another. Each scenario seemed to be a negative one.

 _"My name is Anita Kaine. I'm a child psychologist at Baltimore Children's Hospital. I'm calling in regards to a young boy who has been brought to us by the Baltimore police department. His mother was kidnapped from their home, their house was in shambles, and the boy was found hiding in an upstairs closet."_

"I'm sorry, Ms. Kaine, how did you get my home number? I normally don't take work calls at home at midnight," he replied with slight irritation in his voice. "Not to mention, this isn't really the type of work I do anymore at the FBI."

 _"The young boy said his name was Aidan Fox Mulder and that he was named after an uncle he hadn't met before. That his uncle was a Fox Mulder. To be honest, you were the only Fox Mulder within a couple hundred miles we could find. I was hoping to ask you a few questions to see if you were indeed this child's uncle."_

His ears began to ring, his mouth slacked open in confusion. An uncle? That would mean that this child would have to be Samantha's. If this child was Samantha's… she had only been in Baltimore this entire time? She kept her name, never went back home to find her family? Never tried to find him? His mind was spinning with a thousand questions.

 _"Mr. Mulder?"_

"Uh… yeah, ask away," he said in a strangled tone as his grip tightened around the phone.

 _"He said his mother's name was Samantha Mulder. That she was a brunette with brown eyes. She only had one sibling, a brother named Fox whom she hadn't seen since she was a child. Does any of this sound familiar?"_

"It does," he managed to choke out as he fought back the tears that were threatening to fall down his face.

A thousand questions rang through his mind in rapid succession. He didn't know what to say, what to ask. There was one concrete thought that kept fluttering through his brain – Samantha was alive. Samantha was _alive_. A breath escaped through his lips. Part of him wanted to laugh, part of him wanted to cry. He didn't know what to even do with himself.

 _"Aidan said he didn't know who his father was and considering he goes by his mother's maiden name, I'm assuming he's not in the picture at all. You're the only next of kin we can find."_

"What… what happened to her? Samantha? Do they know who took her?" he asked, his voice cracking at the very mention of her name.

 _"I'm sorry, Mr. Mulder, I don't know any details about her kidnapping. You'd have to contact the police. I can give you the lead detective's name if you like. My main concern is Aidan. He's going to be placed into foster care within the next few days. If you were going to go for temporary custody of him, I would do my best to keep him under my care until that happens. He's very scared and distressed. I'd rather him go with family if that's an option than to be shipped off somewhere."_

"No, of course, I'd want temporary custody of him. If you can keep him in your care until I get granted custody, I'd appreciate it. Is there a social worker or someone with the hospital that can walk me through the process? I can be there first thing in the morning. Hell, I can come right now if they'd let me in."

Mulder sat up straight, fumbling around his desk to grab a pen and a spare piece of paper. He decided on the envelope his paycheck had come in. The pen hovered above the paper.

 _"I'll get someone set up for you by morning. Why don't you be here at eight? Aidan is sleeping now anyhow."_

"Okay, that's fine. Did you say how old he was?"

 _"He's five."_

Mulder sighed and closed his eyes tightly. His mind wandered briefly to Emily, vaguely wandering if he should keep Scully out of this whole debacle. He figured the wounds were still too fresh, the pain too overwhelming. He couldn't ask her to be apart of this after losing her daughter, losing the only child she would ever be able to conceive or have that was biologically hers.

"Thank you. I'll, uh, see you first thing in the morning. I'll ask for you personally, if that's alright?"

 _"That's fine, Mr. Mulder. I'll tell Aidan of your arrival when he wakes."_

The line disconnected. Mulder held the receiver tightly, his mind running a mile a minute. After a good thirty seconds of dead air, he rested the phone in its cradle. His hand itched to pick the receiver back up, to call Scully and tell her everything. Yet, he hesitated, the memory of Scully crying softly over Emily flashed in front of his eyes. He remembered the anguish on her face at her funeral, to bury not even a body but an empty casket. In a moment of weakness, he picked up the phone and jabbed his finger onto his first speed dial.

The phone rang for a few seconds, Mulder's mind racing as he battled with himself to seek Scully's comfort and to save her the heartache of taking on a personal matter dealing with a child only slightly older than Emily had been.

 _"Scully,"_ her voice rang thick with sleep.

He instantly hated himself for being weak, for her being the only person in his pathetic life he could trust or even wanted to be apart of this. She was everything to him but he couldn't say he was everything to her. He licked his lips, silence ringing between them.

 _"Mulder, is that you? Are you okay?"_ Her voice was alert now, concern lacing every syllable.

"It's Samantha…" he croaked out.

 _"Did you find her? What's going on?"_

He heard rustling over the phone. He pictured her tossing the covers aside to sit up, those silk pajamas she liked so much bunched up all around her petite frame. He closed his eyes, imaging her face looming in front of his being illuminated by Christmas lights. He couldn't get that damn imagine of her out of his brain. The despondent look, the tears running down her face, the kaleidoscope of colors.

"I got a call from Baltimore Children's Hospital," he said in a raspy voice. "There's a five year old there who claims I'm his uncle. His mom's been kidnapped."

 _"Mulder?"_ confusion rang in her voice.

Flashes of red and blue seeped through the window. Her face was in the window, tears brimming her eyes. Mulder shook his head as he heard the siren blaring outside of his apartment. He glanced at the window again, only seeing himself looking transparent. There were dried tears on his face, something he hadn't seen in years.

"They said it was Samantha. That she has a son. They don't know who the father is. I was the only next of kin they could find. Can you believe that?" A small, bitter laugh escaped his lips. "I've been looking for years, Scully. Fucking _years_ and found nothing. They find me within a day. How messed up is that?"

 _"When are you going to Baltimore?"_

"I'm gonna be there at eight tomorrow."

 _"I'll be at your apartment at seven. I'll bring coffee."_

A lump formed in his throat. He blinked several times as he glanced out his window at the stillness of the night. He didn't want to offend her, but he wanted to give her a pass. She didn't need to be there for him after everything with Emily. He knew she still mourned for the daughter she barely knew.

"You don't have to keep me company, Scully."

 _"You don't want me to go?"_ hurt laced her voice.

"I just…"

It was no lie he felt guilty about everything that happened around Christmas. He blamed himself for Scully's abduction, about her ova being stolen from her, about that small child who was only created to die. He watched her hurt, watched her cry. She lost her child and he was gaining a child. Somehow, that didn't seem fair.

 _"You think I can't handle it,"_ she said flatly, her voice void of emotion.

"It's not that," he lied partly.

 _"I've come to terms with what happened with Emily. You were there for me, and I want to be there for you. But if you truly don't want me there, then I guess I misunderstood our partnership and, more importantly, misunderstood our friendship."_

Mulder furrowed his brow, the low blow hitting him in just the right spot. Emily was a sore subject and treating her with kid gloves was what most likely set her off. Swallowing the lump formulating in his throat, he pushed aside the comment. He'd be lying to not only her but to himself if he said that he didn't want her by his side, that he misunderstood the development that their friendship had taken at Christmas. He felt closer to her; felt things were more personal between them.

"You didn't misunderstand anything," he spoke softly, the words slipping off his lips before he could stop them. "I'll see you at seven."

 _"See you at seven."_

Then, there was a click and Mulder was faced with silence once more. He gently rested the receiver back on its cradle. His hands immediately raked through his hair, his shoulders slumped forward. He knew there was no way he'd go back to sleep after the information presented to him. Instead he decided to go for a run - a nice, long run and try to clear his mind. To figure out what he was going to say to a nephew he never knew he had.

 **Baltimore Children's Hospital**

 **June 12, 1998**

Mulder sat in the small waiting room with Scully in the chair to the right of him. The room was painted colorfully. One wall was coated in neat stripes done in all the colors of the rainbow. The other walls were solid colors. The whole room made him nauseous. His elbows rested on his knees, his eyes glued to the door across the room willing for it to open. He only briefly registered his partner's hand resting comfortably on his forearm.

When she arrived at his apartment at a quarter to seven, neither spoke about the small misunderstanding on the phone. She had brought coffee and muffins. She greeted him with a warm smile and a look that clearly read that they weren't talking about how he treated her as though she were weak the night before. Instead, he drove and Scully asked him questions about the phone conversation, about the little boy's name, about his age, about whatever he knew. For that, Mulder was forever grateful.

They arrived early and he paced around the main lobby of the hospital for a while before rooting himself into a chair and began his staring contest with a door. The psychiatric ward was not open until eight. They sat in comfortable silence.

When the door finally opened, a tall brunette in her early fifties stepped into the waiting room. Her hair was pulled back in a neat bun, moon-shaped glasses slid down her nose. She smiled warmly albeit tiredly at the pair, her hand extending out slowly towards Mulder as she closed the space between them.

"You must be Fox Mulder. I'm Anita, the one you spoke with. I must say… your nephew looks remarkably like you."

He took the hand, shaking a few times before breaking contact. His chest constricted at the information. Scully's shoulder bumped with his as the two woman greeted each other in a handshake.

"You must be Mrs. Mulder?"

"Dana Scully," she corrected, not phased by the assumption.

"Dana's a medical doctor. I'd like her to perform a DNA test on Aidan."

"Uh…" Anita Kaine blinked a few times, obviously taken aback.

"Please, understand my hesitation in all of this. My sister disappeared from our summerhouse when she was eight and I was twelve. I never knew what happened to her – if she was dead or alive. I just want to ensure that I am Aidan's uncle not just for my sake but also for Aidan's sake."

"That's fine. I can understand. Do you still want to meet Aidan or wait for the results of the DNA test?"

"I want to see him. I'm fairly certain he's my nephew based off the information you provided me, but I just need to make sure he is."

With a tight smile and a curt nod, Anita Kaine led the two agents out of the waiting room and down a series of hallways. They stepped into a sterile white room with a large glass window. Mulder took a few tentative steps forward and peered through the glass. A small boy, all legs and arms sat at a table with a green crayon in hand. Shaggy, brown hair fell into his eyes. His head was bowed down, allowing his hair to obscure his features. Mulder vaguely wondered if this kid was truly his nephew or the son of a clone of Samantha. What would that make the child to him?

He could feel Scully next to him, a hand rubbing up his back in a feather-like touch before residing on his shoulder. A light squeeze of encouragement could be felt but Mulder didn't feel the effects.

"Do you want to go in alone?" she whispered softly.

"No…" he replied immediately. "Will you come?"

He turned his head to the left and looked down. She was gazing up at him, her face warm and welcoming. She slowly nodded her head in the positive. Turning his attention back to the small child, Aidan was looking around the room with a frown etched upon his face. He had dark eyes like both Mulder children. A small array of freckles were scattered across his nose and cheeks in a haphazard pattern. His nose was long and narrow like Samantha's had been. Mulder felt his chest swell with nervousness and love. Throwing caution to the wind, he had quickly convinced himself that this was Samantha's child, that she was out there and he'd find her, and that they'd be a family again.

Reaching down, his fingers laced around Scully's tiny wrist. He ran his thumb across the palm of her hand and lightly tugged her wrist to let her know he was ready to go in. As quickly as he had grabbed her wrist, he let it fall from his grasp. He turned and made his way to the doorway leading into the next room and noted Scully's footfalls directly behind him.

Upon entering the room, the small child looked up. His nose crinkled at the two people walking towards him. Mulder's heart stopped in his chest as he stared into the child's hazel eyes. He pulled out one of the small plastic chairs and took a seat next to his nephew. _Nephew_. Mulder thought he'd never be able to say the word.

"Hi, Aidan. My name's Fox Mulder. I'm your uncle," he introduced himself with a slight awkwardness in his tone.

"Hi," the boy replied quietly.

"This is my friend, Dana Scully."

"Hi," Aidan turned towards the woman and forced a smile.

Mulder ran a hand over his mouth in a downward direction and lost his voice in the process. He had no idea what to say to this child, how to start a conversation. He didn't know if he should ask about Samantha, ask about his hobbies, or bring up who his father was. His mind was splintering into various topics of conversation, none of the options seemed like a good first impression to break the ice.

"What are you drawing?" Scully's voice broke him out of his trance and he could have kissed her in that moment.

"A car," he replied softly as he turned his attention back to his drawing, fingers pinching the crayon in a triangle hold.

Mulder tilted his head to the right. He guessed he saw a few circles that could have passed for wheels and a big scribble that could be the body. He saw Scully's hand appear in his line of vision, small fingers grabbing a blank piece of paper and a brown crayon. He turned towards her, watched as she started to make stick figures on the paper – six of them in total.

Aidan looked up from his piece of paper, semi-interested in what she was drawing before going back to his own picture. Mulder leaned forward slightly, his brain going back to Oxford and trying to remember the basics of his child psychology he took his first year at university. He tried to remember if there was a chapter on childhood grief and the best way to snap a child out of their misery? He could only recall how he wallowed after Samantha's disappearance, how he refused to talk to anyone for weeks. How he watched his father take to the bottle and his mother lock herself in her room with a bottle of pills for the first few months. He had no one who had helped him, no one to lean on. He'd be damned if Aidan turned out like him.

"You live in Baltimore?" Mulder asked lamely as he grabbed his own piece of paper and a black crayon.

"Yeah," a small voice replied.

Mulder twirled the crayon in his fingers, his tongue peeking out just slightly to lick his bottom lip. His gaze wandered to Scully who was concentrating on her picture before wandering back towards Aidan. The small child was staring at him intensely as though trying to figure out if he was who he said he was. _God_ , the child looked like him as a kid - mousy brown hair, gangly limbs, the solemn moodiness.

"I live in Virginia," he continued on his geography conversation, "in Arlington. I had no idea you or your mother were so close. I… I would have been there for you two sooner."

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Scully look up at his with sad eyes. He bet those were the same sad eyes he gave her in California not so many months ago. Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, he stared at Aidan and refused to look away. The kid looked so serious, far more serious than any five year old should look.

Then, the eye contact broke. He looked down at his drawing, his bottom lip sliding between his teeth. He had a guilty look on his face, almost like he wanted to confess to something that only he knew. Mulder leaned forward, trying to soften the hard edges of his face. He wanted to come off as trusting, friendly… like an uncle. Those were all foreign emotions and concepts to him.

"We didn't go by Mulder," he spoke so softly that Mulder had to strain his ears to hear him. "We went by Miller. _A nice, common name._ "

The last sentence was spoken with bitterness, as though he were repeating a line drilled into his head every day of his life. Mulder leaned forward, his mind and heart racing. It _had_ to be Samantha – a very afraid Samantha who had changed their last name. Except, why tell Aidan of their real last name, of his uncle, of a family he wasn't allowed to know? Did she suspect she would be taken again? Suspect that someone would come for him? Did she only trust Mulder to protect her child if she was taken but didn't trust him enough if she was around? The comment created more questions and answered no question.

"What do you mean?" Mulder pressed slightly harsher than he intended.

He was aware that Scully had stopped drawing, that she was looking at the small child with curiosity. Her face was soft, comforting, something that he was sure he did not convey in that moment.

"My mom said we weren't safe. She said there were bad people who wanted to hurt her and to hurt me if they ever found out I existed."

"She told you her real name was Mulder and told you about me? Why?" asked Mulder.

"She said you were her brother. She thought she could trust you but didn't know for sure. She said if anyone ever came for her that I should tell the police my name was Mulder, and they would find you to take care of me," he paused, his gaze resting on the drawing of stick figures in front of Scully. "She told me to be careful… said you might hurt me. Are you going to hurt me?"

It felt like ice had formed around his heart at the words. The boy wouldn't look at him, tears were slipping off his eyelashes at a steady rate. Mulder collapsed onto his knees next to Aidan's chair. He slowly reached out, his fingertips brushing a stray lock of brown hair off his forehead. The hand trailed down, his thumb brushing away some of the tears off the child's cheek.

"I would never hurt you," he spoke gently, compassionately, and he meant it with every bone in his body. "I would never let anybody else hurt you either."

Aidan looked up, his face contorted in pain. He looked like he desperately wanted to believe the man in front of him, to seek comfort in someone besides his mother who had been kidnapped. He needed a lifeline, needed someone. Without hesitation, Mulder wrapped his arms around the child. He pulled him off the chair and into his lap. The boy buried his face into the older man's shirt, his tiny hands clenching the back of his jacket.

Mulder did not know how long they stayed like that. He did not notice Scully slip out of the room to give them privacy. Aidan was the one to pull away first, face puffy from crying. His shoulder's slumped forward. A look of emotional exhaustion crossed over his features.

"Your mom was scared. She was kidnapped when she was only eight years old. I haven't seen her since," Mulder spoke in a soft tone that was starting to become more natural. "She had fears, Aidan, and she placed those fears on you. I'm not saying that was right or wrong because I can see it from both ways with what may have happened to her. The one thing she got wrong, which I can guarantee you with everything I have in me, is she was wrong about not knowing if she could trust me. I joined the FBI, I have looked for her for years, I have searched everywhere for her because I love her and miss her. I would never do anything to hurt her or hurt you. I've been kicking myself since midnight when I found out about you, that you were only in Baltimore this whole time. How did I not find you?"

Aidan stilled, the corners of his mouth turning downwards. There was a faraway look in his eyes as though he were thinking about his mother and her decisions. Mulder didn't push it or say anything else. The small child sniffed, the back of his hand rubbing his nose.

"Will you draw with me, Uncle Fox?" a small voice asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I will."

 **Author's Notes:** This is my first story I've written in years. I'm trying to get back into my favorite pastime. I hope I'm not too rusty. Please, review and let me know if I should continue. What did you like? What did you not like? Did it keep your attention? Your reviews will keep me writing. Thanks for reading!


	2. Home

" **Chaper Two: Home"**

 **Arlington Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court**

 **Arlington, Virginia**

 **June 15, 1998**

Mulder sat on a bench outside of a courtroom. His head was pounding, stress radiating down his neck and into his shoulder blades. It had been three days since he met his nephew. _Nephew_. The word still felt so foreign and strange to him. Every day, he visited the small child and spent every single visiting hour with him that they would allow.

He learned that the kid's birthday was in October. He was to start kindergarten in the fall and had been at daycare previously. His favorite color was green. He loved to play soccer and his favorite movie was Toy Story. He had a Woody doll that he slept with every night that apparently he hasn't been allowed to have since he arrived at Baltimore Children's Hospital. Mulder promised him that after the court date, they would go to his home in Baltimore together and pack a bag to or two to take to his apartment. He promised they'd find this Woody doll he loved so much.

Mulder was jolted out of his reverie by Scully whispering his name. His head snapped towards her. He saw Anita standing in front of them, a soft smile gracing her features. He stood up, his back cracking as he did so.

"I'm going to make the recommendation that Aidan be in your custody until the whereabouts of his mother come to light. That would mean only temporary custody of Aidan."

"Thank you," he spoke softly.

"Who all is speaking today?" Scully asked as her shoulder bumped into her partner's when she stood up.

"From what I've gathered, Mr. Mulder will speak first. Then, Miss Scully will give her character witness. Finally, I will give my recommendation. Then, the judge may or may not ask some questions. This is a fairly small, easy thing as you are simply seeking temporary custody in your sister's untimely absence. Nobody is contesting you gaining custody of Aidan. The state has no objections. If the judge grants you temporary custody, he will stay in your care until his mother reappears. At that time, you would give custody over to your sister. If you object to giving her back custody, we would end up right back here in a custody battle. Mr. Mulder, I would not suggest you get into a custody battle with your sister if or when she returns. That is a battle that you would most likely lose and sever any potential relationship with your sister."

"I understand that and seeking full custody isn't something I want unless we find out Samantha's…"

Mulder let the word _dead_ linger in the air unsaid. Everyone understood what he meant and didn't push him to finish the grave statement. He felt Scully's fingers caress the back of his hand. He flicked his wrist and let his own fingers engulf her hand. After a tight squeeze, their contact broke.

"Excuse me, Mr. Mulder?" a female voice rang behind Anita. "Judge Kennedy will see you now. He asked for you to come to his chambers instead of the courtroom. Bring whomever you like with you. I can show you the way."

The three of them followed the young clerk through the courthouse until they came to the judge's chambers. Mulder's heart was pounding in his chest. Why would the judge see them in his chambers and not in the courtroom? Was there a problem? Did Aidan's father emerge? Did they find some kind of paperwork from Samantha stating who should get custody? A million questions swarmed in his mind.

Upon entering the room, the judge motioned for everyone to sit down. Mulder was glad to be seated. He felt like his legs were going to give out any moment.

"I called you in my chamber's because I feel like this is going to be fairly quick and simple," the judge started. "Mr. Mulder, I've reviewed all the paperwork from the children's hospital. I see the logs that you have been there every day to visit your nephew, I see you did a DNA test to confirm Aidan is in fact your nephew which came back in the positive, and I saw you and your mother are the only surviving relatives of your nephew. Is all that correct?"

"Yes, sir," Mulder nodded.

"You are here today to gain temporary custody of your nephew since, according to a police report, your sister disappeared from her home and your nephew was found hiding in an upstairs closet. Has there been any development on the case?"

"No, sir."

"Look, in cases such as this, I normally just grant temporary custody to a relative who is up for the challenge. The child's father is absent, you're the only family that has stepped up to claim him, I see no reason you shouldn't have temporary custody of him until, hopefully, your sister is found alive. The only pause I have is that fact that you're a federal agent. I know that's a very demanding job. Have you thought about childcare and how to be home with Aidan more often than not?"

"I'm taking a leave of absence from work for a month. I certainly have enough vacation days saved up. In that time, I'll settle Aidan in and I'll figure out what to do about childcare once I go back to work. In the division I work at within the FBI, I have a lot of… leeway of what cases I take. Staying local is definitely in the cards for me."

"That's great to hear. Ms. Kaine, I've read your report to the court about how you came here today to recommend Mr. Mulder gain temporary custody of Aidan. I appreciate you being here. If you would like to say something, you may but I don't think it will be necessary. That goes for you as well, Miss Scully. I've read your report that you are a close and personal friend of Mr. Mulder and have nothing but wonderful things to say about him. If you would like to speak, you may but, again, I don't think that would be necessary."

It felt like a weight was lifting off Mulder's chest. The hearing went easier than he expected. He still remembered being in the courtroom about Emily, the questions and how hard it was. He supposed gaining temporary custody of your nephew whose mother was abducted was deemed an easier decision in the court's eye than granting custody of a girl to her mother who did not remember being pregnant or even know she had a daughter.

"Mr. Mulder, I grant you temporary custody of Aidan Mulder. This custody is good for six months times. If your sister turns up within those six months, we can have an emergency hearing on the matter. If in six months, your sister does not reappear, we will have another hearing to extend your temporary custody for another six months. After a year, we will talk about more permanent custody arrangements. I'm going to have a social worker follow up with you in a few weeks for a home visit. I want to ensure you have all the essentials you need for Aidan, make sure Aidan is happy with you. In the meantime, I suggest you call your school district and get Aidan enrolled into kindergarten. I'd also figure out your childcare for Aidan. Before he starts school, be it daycare or a nanny or whomever takes Aidan during work hours. Once school starts, you will need before and after care. If you have any questions, the social worker you spoke with at the hospital and helped you file all necessary paperwork should be your go-to person. Call her. Ask her questions. Utilize her. She is only here to help."

Mulder and Scully thanked. A rare smile crossed Mulder's features, he caught Scully's gaze. He wiggled his eyebrows and motioned for the two of them to exit together.

They bid their goodbyes and thank you to Anita. Mulder then invited Scully to pick up Aidan with him and to go to Samantha Mulder's residence. The latter request was something Mulder desperately needed Scully to agree to. He did not know if he could enter that house without her.

 **Baltimore, Maryland**

 **Samantha Mulder's Residence**

Mulder parked in the driveway of a small cape cod style home. The grass was beginning to look overgrown, the bushes under the front windows already in need of being trimmed. Mulder made a mental note to hire someone to keep up with the house until winter. Cutting the engine, he stared at the house in front of him with mixed feelings. They got the go ahead from the local police department to enter the home to grab belongings. They had already swept the entire house for prints, taken all computers to analyze, taken all documents or anything else they deemed relevant to the case.

"Did they clean up the living room?" Aidan's voice asked softly from the backseat.

Mulder looked at the rear view mirror, seeing the top of Aidan's head. The boy's eyes were looking downward as though he found something interesting in his lap. Mulder licked his lips to buy some time.

"No, nobody cleaned up," Scully responded, her body twisting around to look at Aidan.

"Oh," soft voice replied.

Mulder wordlessly hauled his frame out of the driver's side. He lowered his ear to his shoulder, his neck cracking loudly, relieving the pent up tension he felt. Slamming his door shut, he took a few steps to open Aidan's door. The small child was already unbuckled and ready to exit the sedan. He reached out a hand towards his uncle and Mulder obliged. He helped the kid jump out of the car as his eyes trailed to the front of the car. Scully was standing there, hands resting on her hips with a frown etched into her features.

"There's a spare key in the backyard," Aidan spoke up. "It's taped under the chair on the back deck."

Mulder nodded, not trusting himself to speak in that moment. He felt a surge of emotions at being in front of Samantha's house. He wondered if it would be considered an invasion of privacy to look through all of her things, to learn about the woman his sister had become.

"Mulder," Scully's voice whispered.

He looked up at her to see her facing him. She nodded her head to the left, behind him. He turned his body, shutting Aidan's car door and trying to look inconspicuous as he looked in the direction she nodded in. A black SUV sat about four houses down. The windows were blacked out so you couldn't see inside. The engine was clearly running but it did not move.

"Take Aidan around back and find the key. I'll be right in."

Scully gave a tight smile and reached out a hand for the small child. Aidan looked up at his uncle with a furrowed brow before grasping Scully's hand in his own. Mulder watched as they walked down the driveway, to the small sidewalk, and opened the gate of the fence that lead into the backyard. The gate was left ajar.

Mulder made his way around the car to the passenger's side. He opened the door and popped open his glove department. He pulled out his pistol and holster. He put on his holster and then slipped his pistol in its normal slot. As he shut the passenger door, he saw the SUV still sitting there with the engine running.

Making his way towards the gate, Mulder pushed it back and entered the backyard. His eyes rested on a small wooden swing set with two swings and a slide. Walking to the right, he spotted a small patio with a charcoal grill and a four-seat table. Scully was crouched down, her hand running along the bottom of a chair looking for the spare key. He closed the space between them.

"What all do you want from here?" asked Mulder.

"I want Woody and my toys. My clothes. There's a picture of me and my mom on the fireplace I want if it's not broken."

Mulder nodded as Scully stood up with the key. The trio made their way to the backdoor. She shoved the key inside and twisted. Mulder took a deep breath as the door opened. They made their way inside to a kitchen.

It was a small, square kitchen. There wasn't much counter space and looked like something out of the 1970s. There were dishes drying on a drying rack. There was peanut butter and jelly out, two pieces of bread, a discarded knife covered in grape jelly, and a Toy Story lunch box on the small island in the middle of the kitchen. Mulder assumed Samantha had been packing lunch for daycare when the attack happened.

Aidan took the lead, leading Mulder and Scully through a door to the living room. The living room was a mess. There was a bookcase that was knocked over, a bunch of books scattered across the floor and broken ceramics. There was an armchair overthrown. The coffee table was broken in half. The mantel of the fireplace was empty.

Mulder glanced down at Aidan who had gravitated towards him, his shoulder flush against the older man's leg. He reached down, resting a hand on top of the kid's brunette locks.

"Where's your room?" questioned Mulder.

"Upstairs," he whispered.

Mulder steered the child towards the stairs. They creaked under the two's weight. Mulder glanced back to see Scully by the fireplace looking on the floor. He figured she was looking for the picture Aidan requested. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious to see that picture as well. Did Samantha look exactly like her supposed clones?

They entered the first door on the right upstairs. There was a blue, wooden A hanging on the door. The room was covered in toys from a train set in the middle of the room to a toy box overflowing with toys in the corner. The walls were a soft brown with what looked like big stickers of Toy Story plastered on the walls. He watched as Aidan broke away from him and grabbed, what Mulder suspected, was his Woody doll that the kid talked nonstop about.

"I'm sorry I left you," the boy whispered to the doll. "I had to leave quick."

There was a creak behind him, causing Mulder to whip around to find Scully standing behind him. There was a picture dangling from her fingertips. She handed it to him, picture down.

"The frame was smashed. I took it out."

Mulder nodded as he took a deep breath before flipping over the picture. It looked like a picture taken the past Christmas. Two people were sitting on the front steps of an unfamiliar porch. Aidan was easily recognizable. His freckles stood out even brighter against his red face. A huge smile graced his features, his eyes sparkling in a way Mulder had not experienced yet. A red and black checkered hair hid his brown hair. Flaps hung down to cover his ears. Next to him was a woman that Mulder had scene before with the Smoking Man. She looked just like her clone self except her hair was pin straight. The real Samantha must straighten her hair and part of Mulder couldn't help but wonder if it was a way for her to mask her identity. She had the same narrow nose, the hazel eyes, pale features.

"Uncle Fox?"

Mulder looked up at Aidan, only to see the child was blurry. He wiped the back of his hand across his wet eyes, clearing up his vision. Mulder handed the picture to the child who took it without hesitation. The corners of his mouth turned upwards upon seeing the photo. The smile faded as quickly as it came.

"Does she look the same?" questioned Aidan.

"Yeah," Mulder managed to choke out. "Where was that taken?"

"Last Christmas at her friend's house. They're co-workers. We go there every Christmas."

Aidan held out the photo to Mulder to take. He took it, his gaze resting on Samantha's smiling face. He wondered if they'd get to spend another Christmas together again.

"Can you keep it safe?" asked Aidan.

"Yeah, of course."

"Here, why don't we pack you up?" Scully inserted herself in the conversation. "Let's find a backpack and a suitcase."

Scully reached out a hand for the child who took it without hesitation. While Scully led the small child to his closet, Mulder backed slowly out of the bedroom. He wandered across the hall to another bedroom that he assumed was Samantha's. A television sat on the nightstand, the bed was unmade, a hamper was overflowing with clothes in the corner. On the nightstand was what looked like a school picture of Aidan, his smiling face was in front of a blue swirled background. In the corner, "Pre-K 1998" was embossed in gold. Next to the picture was a book entitled "A Game of Thrones" with a bookmark neatly placed about a three-fourths of the way through. He picked up the book, turned it over and read the back to get an idea of what Samantha liked.

Resting it back down, he noticed a small bookcase tucked away by the nightstand. He crouched down to read the titles. "Jurassic Park," Stephen King, "Bridget Jones's Diary," "The Things They Carried," Anne Rice, "1984," "Brave New World," Jane Austin, "The Catcher in the Rye." Her selection was vast and varied. It seemed like she liked almost anything fiction. He wondered if she read a lot in the years after her abduction. Did they keep her locked in a cell to experiment on her and let her read books? Was it not related?

A small notebook was propped up between a book and the edge of the bookcase. His fingers reached out and grasped it. It was a black and white marbled notebook. He opened to the front back to see neat, tight cursive covering the page.

 _I sit here, eight months pregnant, in a crappy studio apartment with literal water damage covering the ceiling. All I can think about is how I want a better life for you, my baby boy, than I had growing up. A workaholic father, a distant mother, money thrown at my brother and I as though that would fix the lack of parenting from the people who were supposed to raise us and shape us into acceptable human beings. I remember I had everything material a child could want, all the newest toys and trips across the United States. I remember the summer house where Fox and I shared a room. Something else I remember very clearly was the yelling, the throwing of breakable items at heads, the cursing, the snide comments. I remember the nights that Fox and I were left alone for hours at a time, the nights Fox put me to bed instead of my own parents._

 _I will be better than that. I will never leave you, I will always be there to tuck you in at night, I will never curse or yell, I will make sure our relationship is so strong that material things are unnecessary. I will take you on vacation as much as I can afford, they will be filled with memories of the two of us. I will never allow you to go near that crazy, betrayer of a father, I will never let him sell you like he sold me._

Mulder snapped the book shut, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't bear to read anymore. He figured the notebook as he debated whether or not to place it back on the shelf to preserve Samantha's privacy or take it with him to read a little at a time to get to know the sister he hadn't seen in years. Mulder slipped the picture of Aidan and Samantha into the notebook and tucked it underneath his arm.

"Mulder?"

He turned around to see Scully in the doorframe. A soft, pity-filled smile graced her features.

"Aidan's all packed up if you're ready to go."

"Yeah, I'm good. Let's get out of here."

The trio made their way out of the house through the front door. Mulder noted the black SUV still parked and running a few houses down. Walking to the truck, Mulder popped it open and tossed the notebook inside. He then grabbed the backpack from Aidan and the suitcase from Scully and placed those in the truck as well. He helped Aidan get into the car, buckling him in as Scully slide into the passenger's seat.

"I'll be right back," Mulder directed the statement at Scully. "Stay here."

"Mulder, don't," she said as though reading his mind.

He ignored her and slammed the back door. He turned his attention to the SUV and squared his shoulders. He marched towards the vehicle, knowing full well it was one of Smoking Man's lackeys in the car. He wanted that smoking son of a bitch to know he wasn't scared, couldn't be intimidated, and sure as hell wasn't getting close to Aidan. He looked both ways quickly before crossing the street. The SUV started to pull forward. Mulder sprinted forward.

The car started to drive down the road and Mulder darted in front of it. The SUV slammed on its breaks and he rested his palms on the hood of the vehicle.

"You don't think I know who you work for?" Mulder shouted. "You're not taking him! You hear me you son of a bitch? You're not going to take him!"

The SUV backed up quickly, the wheels screeching on the pavement. The car turned to the right before jerking to a stop. Mulder took a few steps closer, anger radiating off his body. They took his sister. They took her again and left her nephew without a mother.

"I will find you! Do you hear me? I will find you!"

The car moved forwards and turned to go in the opposite direction of Mulder. The headlight clipped a mailbox trying to make the turn and sped off. Mulder took a few steps back, a shaky hand running across his mouth. He watched the SUV drive away, a lack of license plate on the vehicle. He turned around to walk back to the car and caught Scully standing outside of the car, her hand gripped the car door with a look of pure disbelief spread across her face.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Scully whispered fiercely once he was in earshot.

He didn't respond. He slid into the driver's seat silently. He refused to look back at Aidan. He didn't want to see the scared, concerned look on his face. Turning over the engine, he pulled out of the driveway of Samantha's home.

 **Mulder's Apartment**

Mulder and Aidan had bid farewell to Scully upon arriving at the apartment building. She had left her car there that morning in order to go to court with Mulder. Aidan clenched Woody all the way up the elevator, his eyes darting around curiously. Mulder took his backpack and suitcase. When they entered the small apartment, Aidan slowly stepped in.

"It's not much, but it's home," Mulder said lamely as he motioned for Aidan to follow him to the bedroom.

When Mulder had not been at the hospital with Aidan, he had been at home cleaning out his bedroom which was littered with files, paranormal articles, newspapers, the works. He got a new bed with Toy Story sheets and cleaned out all the drawers. He even cleaned out one of the two closets to make room for Aidan's things. The purge of junk had actually felt good.

"This is your room. Do whatever you want to it. You want to paint the walls or something, just let me know."

Aidan nodded as he made his way to the bed. Plopping down on the sheets, he ran his hand over Woody as he kicked off his sneakers. A frown was etched into his features. Mulder crossed the room and took a seat next to the small child. They sat in silence for a few moments before Mulder dug through his pocket looking for a quarter.

"I used to like watching magic shows when I was a kid," he spoke softly as he clasped his hands in his lap. "Your mom… she hated when I would have it on the TV but she liked when I performed magic tricks. I guess she only liked magic if she was participating in it."

Mulder let out a small chuckle, the memories of a smiling Samantha bouncing in front of him. _Do it again, Fox! Again! Again!_ He glanced down at Aidan who seemed intrigued. He was swinging his legs like crazy, his heels hitting his bed in a steady rhythm.

"Her favorite magic trick was when I'd pull treasure out of her ear," Mulder said in a serious tone.

"Is there treasure in my ear?" Aidan asked in excitement as he pulled his legs onto the bed and turned his attention to his uncle.

"Oh, I think everyone has a little treasure in them."

Mulder reached out a hand and gently grabbed Aidan's chin to turn the boy's face away from him. He bent down until his eyes were level with Aidan's ear. He then made a few humming noises that caused the boy to giggle in anticipation.

"I see something silver in there," Mulder murmured.

"Get it! Get it!"

Mulder held the quarter against his palm with his pinky and ring finger. With his index finger, he tickled the boy's ear which caused him to squirm and giggle even more.

"Hold still!" Mulder said in a playfully serious tone.

With great skill, Mulder transferred the coin between his index and thumb finger. He brushed the quarter against the boy's ear before producing the coin in front of Aidan's eyes. For the first time since they met, Aidan smiled a genuinely happy smile. It was as though the thoughts that had plagued him for the past few days had disappeared. Even if it were only for a few moments, Mulder savored the look of pure joy on his nephew's face.

A knock on the door interrupted the bonding. Aidan took the quarter, the smile fading from his features as he twirled it between his fingers. Mulder ruffled the kid's hair before standing up and making his way back to the living room.

Opening the door, Mulder was not prepared for who he would see. Diana Fowley stood in front of him. She looked older than the last time he had saw her… when she had left his apartment with a box full of her stuff. A soft smile was dancing on her features.

"Fox," she spoke calmly.

"What are you doing here, Diana?"

"I was actually trying to contact you at work. There was a case I wanted your assistance with but you couldn't be reached. Then, I heard about your sister and her son," Diana said simply as she licked her lips. "I know we didn't end things on a very positive note, but I had to come over here and… it's Samantha. I had to be here."

Mulder stood there, his hand gripping the doorframe as he stared at the woman in front of him. There were no words, nothing he wanted to say. He had spent years wishing she would show up at his door randomly, asking to be together again, asking for another shot. A few years ago, those feelings started to fade due to a certain redhead.

"Uncle Fox?" a small voice rang behind him.

"I'll be right there," Mulder said without taking his gaze off Diana.

"I'm in D.C. to stay for awhile. I've been assigned here. We could… catch up some time. I'd love to hear about your nephew. Maybe we could search for Samantha together."

"I appreciate the offer, Diana, but I have enough on my plate right now with my nephew."

"I understand that, Fox. No rush."

She reached out a hand to run down his arm. He glanced down to watch the gesture that felt foreign and unwanted from this woman he thought he would never see again. He glanced back up to catch her eye. She smiled warmly before nodding. She took two steps back before turning to make her way to the elevator. Mulder slowly closed the door.

"Who was that?" questioned Aidan.

"An old friend," Mulder replied, too preoccupied in his thoughts to catch the worried look that crossed over his nephew's face.

 **Author's Notes – Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Sorry it took so long to get out. I didn't get many reviews so I took my time on it. If you read it and like it, leave a review. I always write faster when I get plenty of reviews!**


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